The Imperative Need for a New Critical Edition of Baha' al-Din al-Baghdadi's “Begging to be Sent”

At-Tavassol ela-t Tarassol, authored by Baha' al-Din Muhammad ibn Mu'ayyad al-Baghdadi, is a paragon of Persian Fanni prose from the 6^th century AH. It is among the few surviving texts in the epistolary writing traditions which has been handed down in one solid piece. In 1315 (1936 AD), Ahmad Bahmanyar took the responsibility for critically editing the book based on merely two existing manuscripts, and had it published in Tehran. However, further seven manuscripts have yet been discovered. These newly found manuscripts are kept in various libraries, including the Yeni Cami Library in Turkey (dated; 635 AH), the Nur Osmanli Library in Turkey (dated; 662 AH), the Fatih Library in Turkey (dated; 669 AH), the Library of the Islamic Consultative Assembly of Iran (7^th century AH), the Leiden University Library in the Netherlands (dated 850 AH), and two more copies from the 12^th and 14^th centuries preserved in the Library. Given the discovery of earlier and more valuable manuscripts, the lack of certain necessary criteria required for an accurate codicology in the previous copy, and the numerous textual errors, “At-Tavassol ela-t Tarassol” necessitates a critical re-examination and, in technical terms, a reconsideration. This article, followed by introducing the newly discovered manuscripts, will elaborate on the imperative need for a new analysis on this invaluable historical text.
“At-Tavassol ela-t Tarassol,” a unique literary work by Baha al-Din Muhammad ibn Mu’id al-Baghdadi, the secretary of Ala al-Din Tekesh, the Kharazmshah, is a valuable collection of epistolary texts composed in the late 6^th century AH. This book encompasses a wide range of correspondence, including official decrees, edicts, treaties, and private letters. “At-Tavassol ela-t Tarassol” has a coherent structure with a preface, two introductory chapters, and three main sections, covering various types of correspondence, such as Imperial Decrees (official) and personal (private) letters. The book offers samples and methods for epistolary writing, which makes “At-Tavassol ela-t Tarassol” a noble textbook of epistolary writing. The significance of “At-Tavassol ela-t Tarassol” extends beyond merely collecting writing samples, but it holds great importance from literary, historical, and linguistic perspectives. This book was first published in Tehran in 1315 (1936 AD) by Ahmad Bahmanyar Kermani. Based on the two available manuscripts in his time, Bahmanyar undertook the task of editing and publishing the work. This study highlights the necessity of a new critical examination of this work.
Method
This paper presents a comparative analysis of the printed copy of “At-Tavassol ela-t Tarassol” (both prose and poetry) with other extant manuscripts. The proposed emendations and corrections shall be presented, as well. The outcome of this analytic comparison represents only a small sample of the possible errors occurred in previous studies and showcase the necessity of a revised critical examination of this book. Throughout this study, the following manuscripts are used: Y (Yeni Cami, 635 AH), N (Nur ‘Uthmaniyya, 662 AH), L (Leiden, 668 AH), F (Fatih, 669 AH), P (Paris, 684 AH), Man (Majlis = Islamic Consultative Assembly of Iran), Le (Leiden, 850 AH), Mad (Majlis, 12th century), and Mas (Majlis, 14th century). Examples are followed by numbers in parentheses which refer to the page numbers of the printed copy of At-Tavassol ela-t Tarassol.
Results
The outcomes of this research showcase and emphasize numerous errors in Bahmanyar’s edited copy of “At-Tavassol ela-t Tarassol” in 1315 (1936 AD). These errors stem from the reliance on a limited number of manuscripts and the low quality of those manuscripts. The errors include misreading, omissions, and incorrect editorial decisions. These errors can be broadly categorized into three main domains:

textual errors
the absence of necessary critical and research-based editorial standards in Bahmanyar’s edition
and the discovery of older and more accurate manuscripts of “At-Tavassol ela-t Tarassol.”

Today, Nine manuscripts of this book have been recognized at our disposal. By comparing these manuscripts and proposing corrections, we shall revise a copy which is closer to the original and the more accurate copy of “At-Tavassol ela-t Tarassol.”
Conclusion
Upon the discovery of new manuscripts and the identification of errors in the existing ones, a new critical edition of “At-Tavassol ela-t Tarassol” becomes crucial to offer a more accurate comprehension of this noble book. This study demonstrates that conducting codicology of ancient texts can only be achieved through careful and comprehensive study of manuscripts, followed by a ‘critical’ analysis. By providing a corrected edition of “At-Tavassol ela-t Tarassol,” this study offers scholars and enthusiasts of Persian literature a reliable and accurate resource for studying this important book and gaining a deeper understanding of its historical context. Ultimately, this research can serve as a starting point for further studies in various fields, including linguistics, literary history, political and social history, and manuscript studies. A more detailed analysis of Baghdadi’s language and style (based on the new critical edition) and a more in-depth study of the manuscripts of this work are objectives to be explored in future research.